Red Hook with Kids: Best 25 Things to Do in this Waterfront Corner of Brooklyn

Much has been written about this gritty, industrial, waterfront neighborhood, which is frequently cited as the "next big thing" even though in many ways it has already arrived. Once a busy shipping center, Red Hook is raw, rugged and rich in history. Its isolation has protected its time-warp appeal—it's a serious hike from the nearest subway. But that makes it refreshingly quiet, especially along the plentiful riverfront.

Over the past decade or so, the diverse and comparatively inexpensive neighborhood has welcomed an influx of musicians, artists, rooftop beekeepers, urban chicken farmers, entrepreneurs and young parents. Together with longtime locals, they've helped turn Red Hook into a cultural hot spot, with FREE movies, kayaking and a variety of family-friendly festivals in summer. Aside from Ikea and Fairway, you won't find chains here. Instead, independent locavore eateries dot the neighborhood, small-batch distilleries and chocolate makers fill the abandoned factories, artists have transformed old warehouses into galleries and fisherman gather along the beat-up piers, where all are free to wander and soak up magnificent views of the downtown Manhattan skyline and the Statue of Liberty.

While you have to travel to the adjacent Carroll Gardens to find most traditional family amenities, there are still plenty of cool things to do with kids in Red Hook. Just getting to the neighborhood can be a thrill: It's easily accessible by boat (New York Water Taxi's Ikea Ferry) and bike via the Brooklyn Greenway.

The peninsula was dubbed Red Hook back in the 17th-century due to its ruddy land and crooked shape, and its borders are clear: the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway to the east, and the water to the west, north and south. Throughout the month, we'll be writing about everything the neighborhood has to offer families, including the best places to eat, play and explore. We kick off our coverage with a list of the top 25 things to do with kids in Red Hook.

1. After taking the Ikea Ferry (which is FREE on weekends), let the tots romp in the store's Småland Play Area in the lobby—you can even drop them off for up to an hour of supervised play
2. Check out the Ikea-run Erie Basin Park, a waterfront promenade with great views and plentiful seating
3. In summer, splash around the outdoor Olympic-size pool at the Red Hook Recreation Center—there’s a separate sprinkler section for tots
4. Explore the historic, floating Waterfront Museum, which hosts frequent family performances by juggling clowns, vaudeville comics and swashbuckling pirates
5. Stroll Valentino Pier to take in spectacular views of downtown Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty
6. See what's on view at the Brooklyn Waterfront Artists Coalition, an artist-run gallery housed in a 25,000-square-foot Civil War-era warehouse
7. Go kayaking for FREE with the Red Hook Boaters in the summer months
8. Catch FREE, mostly family-friendly movies on Valentino Pier at the annual summer Red Hook Flicks series
9. Kick off festival season every spring with Puppetry Arts' annual Red Hook Family Festival at PS 15
10. Children of all abilities are welcome to romp in Extreme Kids & Crew's indoor sensory play space AMP during drop-in hours
11. Introduce the kids to syncopated rhythms at the annual Red Hook Jazz Festival, which takes place in June
12. Hit Brooklyn Crab for food and fun: Its massive backyard features an eight-hole miniature golf course, a beanbag toss and shuffleboard
13. Grab a Swingle at Steve’s Authentic Key Lime Pies: a key lime pie tart, dipped in dark chocolate and frozen onto a Popsicle stick
14. Drop in to the Kentler International Drawing Space on Saturday mornings for a FREE Drawing Together workshop for kids
15. Mark your calendar for spring 2015, when one of Red Hook's few green spaces, Coffey Park, will unveil its multimillion-dollar makeover
16. Bring your banjos, ukuleles, harmonicas and spoons to Urban Meadow Community Garden's annual fall Hootenanny Jamboree
17. Bite into homemade brownies, cookies, whoopie pies and fluffy marshmallows at Baked
18. Marvel at live glassblowing at Pier Glass, which hosts open studio days
19. Teens can learn welding and blacksmithing at She-Weld, a funky metal working studio run by RISD-grad, Marsha Trattner
20. Find distinctive gifts at Foxy & Winston, a wee shop that sells whimsical paper products and idiosyncratic textiles
21. Enjoy FREE live music, food and DJs at monthly open studio events at Pioneer Works
22. Turn your tots into grown-up foodies with eclectic tastes at the decades-old Red Hook Food Vendors
23. Get craftsy at the adorable Brooklyn General Store, which hosts knitting and fashion classes for kids
24. Enjoy all-ages community gatherings like the annual Red Hook Fest and Dancing on the Greenwway organized by Dance Theatre Etcetera
25. Keep your eyes peeled for street art—thanks to all the artists living in the nabe, you'll see cool murals around every corner

Read all of our posts about exploring Red Hook, Brooklyn with kids.